"Victor! I can't believe you wrote this book—it's amazing."
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon either." As he spoke, Victor Wang kept his hand moving, signing his pen name on the title page for Amber. "Here you go."
"Hehe, see you!"
So full of energy.
After sending off the red-clad Amber, the next in the red-green-blue trio stepped forward—the one in green.
"Hello, please write: 'To Mondstadt's greatest bard.'"
Venti, of course, could not control every breeze in the world—but within Mondstadt, especially near the Anemo Archon statue, there were perhaps a few winds that served as his eyes and ears.
From the very day Victor Wang arrived in this world, Venti had already noticed him.
A new variable.
But this person had the audacity to speak the name of the First Throne out loud. To avoid unnecessary involvement, Venti withdrew his attention for the time being. It wasn't until he heard stories he had never known that he was drawn in again—leading to their meeting today.
Venti was full of curiosity and expectation toward the person in front of him.
Meanwhile, Victor Wang was trying to find a way to build rapport. This was one of his seven targets—the Anemo Archon. He knew Venti, but Venti didn't know him. That was frustrating.
"So, you're Mondstadt's greatest bard?"
"But of course." Venti nodded confidently, then, with a sudden shift in tone, feigned dejection: "But ever since Tales from the Box came out, everyone in Windrise Plaza has been captivated by it."
"Hmm… I've still got three more days of public readings planned. How about I hand Windrise Plaza over to you? Replace the readings with bardic performances—it might even be more effective."
"Really?"
"Of course. I'll pay you 20,000 Mora per day. Just perform however you usually would." Twenty thousand Mora was enough for four days of a commoner's expenses. Victor Wang had carefully considered the amount—any more and he feared he might scare the Archon off.
"Twenty thousand Mora!"
"Too little? I can do fifty thousand." A chance to work with the Archon—that price was a bargain.
"You're making me feel bad now. Twenty thousand is fine—I'll take it."
"See you in the plaza tomorrow then."
After seeing Venti off, the next one in blue was even more heavyweight.
"Yo. Greetings."
"Hello. Just need a signature?"
"That's right."
Though the two exchanged words, Victor Wang kept his head down the entire time, while Kaeya stared at him without restraint.
Recalling their first meeting—this cloaked figure with the Dodo Cat on his head and explosive gadgets on his back—Kaeya now wore no smile. He was here to confirm the man's identity.
Even Archons could make mistakes—let alone Alice. Kaeya only trusted his own judgment.
"Can you say, 'She sells seashells by the seashore'?"
"I'll have to decline."
Emma shot Kaeya a fierce glare. Though he was the cavalry captain of the Knights and outranked her, they weren't in the same department—so she wasn't intimidated.
"Come on now," Kaeya shrugged, "just a joke."
Once the cheeky cavalry captain left, no further strange events occurred.
By 1 p.m., all 1,000 copies of Tales from the Box prepared by the bookstore had sold out.
"Master Dust, please sign these two for me." Emma brought out two copies she had prepared. "This one's mine, and the other is Lisa's."
As Lisa's close friend, Emma suspected Lisa had taken a liking to Dust—but wasn't acting on it. Both of them are still single and pushing the age limit... sigh, me too...
After retrieving the signed books, Emma extended an invitation to Victor Wang: "Master Dust, may I treat you to lunch?"
"No, no." Victor Wang waved his hands quickly. Mealtime was when identities were easiest to slip. He hadn't eaten with anyone else since arriving—and right now, he couldn't wait to check his bank account.
"I see... do you have any upcoming writing plans?"
"Not for a while."
There were only so many books he could borrow, and even fewer suited to spread in Teyvat. Every book released was one fewer in his vault. For now, he had enough Mora to live luxuriously—top-tier hotels, lavish meals, no problem.
A gentleman values wealth, but earns it with integrity, spends it with prudence, and uses it with restraint.
Victor Wang used to understand those words on a surface level. Now that he'd found a way to make serious money, he finally grasped their true meaning.
As for whether he had any integrity—well, those works were public domain by now, and besides, he was in another world.
Bidding farewell to Emma, Victor Wang headed straight to the bank. Only after seeing nearly a million Mora in his account did he feel hungry.
When he returned to his inn, he found a note on the windowsill:
"If you wish to keep your identity hidden, come to Mondstadt's side gate at 9 p.m."
The handwriting was elegant.
"Of all the things to fear..."
9 p.m., Mondstadt's side gate.
"Hello there, friend."
The guards who usually stood watch and the dockworkers had all been sent away by Kaeya. Now, only Victor Wang and Kaeya were present.
Secret dealings in the dark—typical Kaeya. Victor Wang kept his cool. "Hello."
"Your voice is rather... unique, friend."
"Sorry, I was born with it. It troubles me too."
"Oh? It sounds... oddly familiar. Like I've heard it somewhere before."
"You must be mistaken. We've only met twice."
"Tsk tsk tsk... Olah?"
Victor Wang braced himself. "I've got a copy of the Hilichurlian Quick Reference Manual too. Why are you even speaking Hilichurlian? Think you're special just because you can?"
In truth, he didn't have that manual—but that wasn't the point.
"...Still pretending, huh? Or are you really waiting for me to tear off your disguise?"
"Let's not get violent! I'm warning you, this outfit was expensive."
Kaeya flicked his sword upward in a quick gesture. "Take off the hood."
Victor Wang hesitated but then removed the cloak's hood, revealing his furry head and the Hilichurl mask on his face.
Kaeya gave a cold chuckle. "Just as I thought. Who sent you to Mondstadt?"
"No one. I'm just a Hilichurl who suddenly developed human intelligence—and I want to return to human society."
"Save that story for your fellow Hilichurls—it won't work on me."
A sharp icicle formed at Kaeya's fingertips and struck the ground near Victor Wang's feet. Startled, he instinctively stepped back—nearly losing his balance.
"Kaeya, would you really harm a fellow countryman?!"
"?!"
Kaeya's Khaenri'ahn identity was known only to Diluc. Yet this person, who had never interacted with Diluc, had just struck a nerve.
"Hmph. Not everyone is my countryman... Where did you get that information?" Kaeya didn't clarify who or what he was referring to.
"I know a lot more than you think."
Victor Wang chose his words carefully. Turning against Kaeya would do him no good—but directly saying he had observed this world as a game and entered it would sound insane to any normal person. And even he couldn't explain how it had happened.
Kaeya had cleared the area and arranged a private meeting—he wasn't just trying to expose Victor. So what was his real purpose?
"I can tell you how I know your secret. But once I do, you need to be ready to bear the weight of that knowledge."
"…"
"Listen to me—this isn't something you can easily handle. I have no ill will toward you, Mondstadt, or humanity."
"And if I insist on knowing?"
"Then I'll tell you…" Victor Wang raised a hand toward the sky. "I came from outside."
It was easier to explain being extraterrestrial than a dimensional traveler.
Kaeya pondered deeply.
As a Khaenri'ahn, he had experienced far more than the people of Teyvat. Though strange, this wasn't beyond his comprehension.
"You want to know more?"
"No. As long as you're not with the Abyss Order—we're friends."
Kaeya sheathed his sword and gave a warm smile, stepping closer to Victor Wang.
Victor had just relaxed—then panicked again and stepped back in alarm.
Seeing this, Kaeya stopped, sighed, and turned away, waving his hand. "Goodbye, friend."
Even after their frank exchange, Victor Wang stuck to his principle: More options are always better, but no options is fine too. He called after Kaeya's retreating back:
"Kaeya—do you know how a Hilichurl can become human again?"
Kaeya paused.
"…Sorry."
Just as expected.
Only after Kaeya disappeared from view did Victor Wang finally let himself relax.